I find it very depressing that as much as I love to write, my blog remains very low on the priority totem pole.  Why is there never time to do the things we know we need to do, actually like to do but never get around to because quite frankly, nothing will happen to us if it doesn’t get done?

Since my last blog, a million years ago, I have opened a retail space within a fabulous business and have become part of a family that I adore.  The Skin Boutique, owned and operated by my friend Rhonda Nesbitt, RN and her husband (my brother from another mother) Paul.  Rhonda moved her amazingly successful business from her Royal Oak, Rochester Road location to 33226 Woodward Avenue, in Birmingham, March 1st.

During January and February, we cleaned, painted and prepped a space that we now call home and it is sheer perfection.  In addition to all of the wonderful anti-aging and acne prevention and treatment services Rhonda is known for, Ms. Nesbitt has added nail services, massage, waxing, electrolysis and medical accupuncture  to the Skin Boutique’s menu of services.

The Skin Boutique is also home to the retail component of Just Call Kara.  Clothing, jewelry, accessories and gifts can be found during regular spa hours.  You don’t need a spa appointment to shop so feel free to visit the Skin Boutique when in need of a new outfit or a girlie” pick me up.”  Just Call Kara stylist services are also on the Skin Boutique menu.  Closet consultations, personal shopping and individual outfitting are my specialties and having a studio within such a wonderful environment is inspiring!

Rhonda is incredible.  Young, old or in between, if you have questions or concerns about your skin, your search for the most knowledgeable, nurturing and honest ”skin goddess” is over.  I lovingly have named her the “skin whisperer” and she is truly amaziing.  Call the Skin Boutique 248-588-3500 or visit us in person at 33226 Woodward.  Health , Beauty and Wellness is what the Skin Boutique is all about.  A softer, happier, healthier YOU is one visit away.  Don’t delay!

       This is the time of year when clients, friends and family always ask “What’s hot for Spring?”   As if my trend reports were tarot cards, I answer with spotlights from the fashion week runways nearly a year ago.  The early trend and style reports usually give us just enough to look forward to: color forecasts, trend highlights and one or two wild card features that either make us laugh or roll our eyes.

For me, the most shocking news came when the color of the year was selected.  It wasn’t a shock because I disagree, I actually love tangerine.  It surprised me because the color orange, and variations, have been a forerunner in Spring fashion for the last several years.

The one difference?   The fabulous orange dresses that have made a retail splash.  In seasons past, orange showed up in handbags, jewelry, scarves and tops.  As of today, January 26th, I have already spotted some fabulous orange and tangerine dresses in a variety of stores.  The citrus shines and makes us feel bright, teasing us into believing Spring is near and the warmth will be here before we know it.  Buy now because when it is warm and you decide to embrace this citrus fashion perfection, the dresses will be gone.  Early trend forecasts are just that…Early.  Be the one that gets the worm, in this case, the ORANGE. 

This past Friday night, I was treated to an evening out with two of my besties thanks to one of the besties husbands.  We were celebrating a birthday that took place way back in mid November.  My friend’s husband wanted to send us to Florida but with upper level management positions and Mom schedules, Florida was not in the cards.  Next best thing?  An opportunity to unwind following the holidays that included a fabulous dinner and a alarm free hotel room downtown.

Sweatpants.  Jerry Seinfeld commented in one of his stand up routines, ”Sweatpants are an immediate message to the world, I GIVE UP!”  This message is not just humorous, it is completely true.

Giving up in the confines of your own home is one thing.  My children and husband completely know when I have “given up” or actually slipped into what I call “Blob-dom”.  Sweatpants covered by a big sweatshirt;  none of which I call my own.  After all, as a stylist and closet consultant, it is hard to save face if you have BLOB clothes.  The reality is, whether you own blob clothes or wear your son’s or husband’s, wear them inside, hunker down and stay with those who love you the most.  Once your confidence is restored, get dressed in real clothing,  look your best and feel great about the positive way in which people receive you.

So, how does one transition from a fun birthday celebration to sweatpants?  No, we did not blob out, order room service and compare heather grays.  Dressed to the nines, my two friends and I checked into the Motor City, dropped our bags then headed to Iridescence for dinner.  Low and behold, despite the past restaurant of the year rating and “prestige” of the establishment, there were sweatpant clad diners, a lot of them,  in our presence.

I have seen sweatpants at the theater, not including  AMC, Imagine or Palladium movie venues ( sweatpants are a given at the movies) but at Theater theaters like the Fox, the Fisher and the Opera House.  People go to brunch, travel in planes and attend church in sweats.  Sweatpants, really?

Call me Old School or just OLD, I remember when people dressed for the occasion.  When we flew on a plane, my Mother dressed us in white tights and black patent mary janes.  When we went to the Fisher, we wore dresses with our dress coat (read: NO Northface anything).  Yes, times have changed, but for me it is a matter of self respect.  It is not about the LV or the Gucci,  it is all about feeling good enough about yourself to put the effort forth.

As I am outfitting my clients and they comment, “I would have never put these things together but I look so great!”, I only add, “you look as if you put the effort forth.”  When you go the extra mile, the compliments, praise and acknowledgment immediatly follow.

Go ahead, convince yourself that you “don’t care”, “it is what is on the inside that counts” and see how confident and successful you feel…in your sweats.

This time of year exhausts me for a variety of reasons. 

First, Christmas kills me every single year.  As we drove North this year on Christmas Eve, I asked my husband of 20 years “In the 20 plus years we have been together, how many times have I told you Next year I am going to do Christmas differently?”  He unenthusiastically replied, “Every year.”  I just can’t seem to get it right.  Each Thanksgiving, I envision myself sitting in front of a fire enjoying the lights on my tree as I sip wine and write personal messages on each and every one of the 100 plus cards I am going to mail the first week of December.  That has never happened and this year I never even got around to organizing a picture for a card.  This year there were no cards, no cookies and at least for me, no Christmas.

I am also exhausted by the idea of New Year, New Hopes, New Desires, New Goals.  I am not a resolution person but I am a girl who looks at the new year as an opportunity to evaluate where I am, what I am doing and what I am going to do differently to benefit myself personally and professionally over the next 12 months.  Stressful?  Very.  Actually, so much so that the notion of spending the entire month of  January in the fetal position recovering from my holiday exhaustion is really what I would prefer to do.  Unfortunately for an A type personality, recovery is not an option.  After all, I would already be a full month behind on the work needed to turn my goals into reality.  I heavy sigh just thinking about it.

Onward and upward…what is going on, you ask?  A LOT!  2012 brings great opportunity to the retail component of  JUST CALL KARA.  In cooperation with my business associate and friend, Rhonda Nesbitt, I am pleased to announce the emergence of a full service, 6 day a week retail environment for my business on Woodward Avenue almost directly aross from where HIGH WIRE GIRLS was located.  Rhonda, who is the owner of Skin Boutique, currently located in Royal Oak, is expanding her business and will be moving to the space once operated by Fountain of Youth Spa on the east side of Woodward Avenue just north of 14 mile in the same block as Hawthorne Appliance.  Rhonda will continue to do what she does best (I lovingly call her the skin whisperer) but will expand on what the business offers by including massage, hair, nail, waxing and of couse Just Call Kara style consulting services.  As much as I loved the personal component of my open houses over the last couple of years, I believe my customer base will be thrilled to have regular access to all of the latest and greatest Just Call Kara merchandise in a regular and more accessible retail environment.  We had hoped to possibly be open by Feb 1 but it is more realistic to anticipate a mid to late February opening.  What a great way to premier my Spring inventory!  I will update my blog with the comings and goings of our move as we work together to create a creative and inviting space that will welcome men and women of all ages while assisting them in their desire to look and feel better about themselves.  Skinboutiquexperts.com will be the businesses web address; the experts will be all of the talented professionals working within our wonderful new space. 

Here’s to a Fabulous New Year! Cheers!

Tomorrow morning my friend Mary and I will take our 8th grade daughters to NYC.  We are going for fun but I will also conduct some business there.  I have been buying great merchandise, mostly accessories, from a variety of NY vendors for the past 10 years.  I love the jewelry, scarves and trend driven bags that I can hand select then have shipped to my home, often arriving the day after I return from the weekend.

October’s Open House was my best EVER.  It was so great to see new faces, meet friends of regular customers and enjoy the positive feedback from my forever loyal clientele.  In October, the daytime shoppers were privy to the merchandise first.  In November, the evening group will be first.  I offer two shopping times with every show and alternate which time slot is offered first from one show to the next.  It only seems fair and my tried and true shoppers have been delighted with the convenience.

The November show will highlight my trip to New York not to mention a lot of new things still arriving from my Vegas buying trip.  It may seem crazy to offer three open houses in three months but with fresh merchandise arriving daily, each show will offer fun new things for unique and affordable gift giving.

I will send a promo email soon but in the meantime, save the following dates:

NOVEMBER RETAIL OPEN HOUSE

Tuesday evening November 15th  5pm-9pm, Wednesday morning November 16th 10am-2pm.

SANTA’S LAST STOP (Last minute gift shopping AND Season ending SALE)

Wednesday December 14th 10am-2pm AND 5pm-9pm.

If you haven’t received promo e-mails from Just Call Kara before and would like to be on my contact list, send me an email and I will make sure you get all of the updates. kara@justcallkara.com.

The retail fruits of my Vegas labor have been arriving slowly but surely.  Three shipments of apparel, two jewelry orders, crocheted bags and several styles of fingerless handwarmers have been delivered to date.  This week I am expecting some handbags, more jewelry, scarves and hats.  I am pricing all that’s NEW and deeply discounting everything from last season in preparation for my first retail open house since JUNE!

Here are the details:

Wednesday, October 5th

3560 Roland Drive

Bloomfield, Mi 48301

10am to 2pm AND 5pm to 9pm

My vendors will be shipping merchandise periodically throughout the fall season so if you are unable to make it on October 5th, no worries.  I will be hosting a “Pre-holiday” Open House in early November and a “Santa’s Last Stop” event mid-December.

My regular customers know that any time I host a retail event, they are sure to find new, unique and affordable clothing, accessories and gifts.  The next three events will feature great new items as well as deeply discounted clearance items.  Stock up your gift closet with stylish looks at irresistible prices.

Summer finally arrived and with my 14 year old son’s first real job, my daughter’s commitment to swim team and my new client obligations, I have been a bad blogger indeed.  I love writing and I love sharing new, fun fashion and style tips, so I am nothing short of angry with myself for being so entirely lame.

Enough of the self loathing.

While not writing, I have been shopping a ton.  As I am sure you have assumed, when I shop for my clients, I sometimes come across a few things I must own myself.  This summer I treated myself to two VERY special purchases.

If I haven’t shopped for you personally, you probably don’t know that I am all about the deal.  Please understand, I love high design, top quality, high end garments and accessories;  I just love them even more when they are marked down to the point where you would be a fool not to indulge, especially when you aren’t indulging.

My clients give me shopping lists and when I complete the task and report with multi bags, they are thrilled.  Not only have I “conquered” the list of wants and needs but I always do so under budget.  This spring/summer, in my travels, I found a MICHELE watch that I needed to own.  I must admit, I am a watch girl.  I love big statement watches and realized early on that although my husband bought me the “ultimate” watch for my 40th, I have wanted more.  The MICHELE I found this summer is sheer perfection.  It satisfied my need for a white watch while it also satisfied my desire to own a MICHELE.  The deal was so outrageous, I just couldn’t say no.  That was my first VERY special purchase of the season.  The second very special purchase happened because I have been looking for the perfect summer purse ever since the weather changed.  Normally the process would have started during resort wear season (feb/march), but because the weather was so unbelievably cold into early May, I missed the early warm weather bags.  As the season progressed, I realized it would be more advantageous for me to buy a bag that would also transition into Fall.  After weeks of casually looking, I found a CLIO GOLDBRENNER soft light camel colored bag that is the perfect transitional piece.  This bag is a classic that will carry me into Fall and will never need to leave my purse closet any time soon.

OK. You have heard my most recent shopping confessions.  If you want me to find confession worthy pieces for you, shout out.  I see them all of the time and want to find homes for them daily.

Happy shopping!

Too much…taking several cool style trends and wearing them from head to toe, poorly applied self tanner, radical nail enamel, rhinestones on more than one garment or accessory worn together, shoes that are too high to walk in, matching earring, necklace, bracelet sets, matching outfits on couples or parents and children.

Too little…skirts so short you can’t sit down, plunging necklines that reveal “front butt-like” cleavage, summer’s super sheer trend without the appropriate under layers, see through white pants worn without underwear, running in exercise tops that offer no support, daisy duke shorts.

Too late…my list of things that have an age appropriate expiration date.  Some woman can rock some of these looks longer than others and some of these looks shouldn’t be attempted at all.  With that being said, take the time to carefully observe and be honest with yourself…short shorts, tube tops, bikini bathing suits, feather hair extensions, ear cuffs, body piercings, tattoos, some printed t-shirts and tanks and any jewelry trend currently be worn and traded by every six to ten year old (ie.silly bandz).

Too much?  Remove something.

Too little?  Cover something.

Too late?  How old are you?

Quoting one of my dearest pals, “Don’t be the story”.

Tis’ the season of the Graduation Party!  Whether you are going to one or 101, grad parties are a great opportunity to dress your very best!  I am not saying dress “up”, I am suggesting that you put together an outfit that says “I put some effort into how great I look!”

“Huh?” followed by a head scratch and a puppy nod…what does this mean?   Well, lets start out with what is DOESN’T mean:

Never wear anything that is prohibitively uncomfortable.  You should always be able to sit down, breathe, drink, eat and not have to spend your evening “adjusting” anything (attitude excluded!).

If you have any doubt that your outfit may be too sexy (too much cleavage, skirt too short, dress too tight) then it probably is and therefore is not suitable for any graduation celebration.

Never play it safe.  At the risk of offending 80% of the Mom population, NEVER wear your khaki capri/black t-shirt combo.  This has become the universal Mom uniform.  Yes, it is easy and safe, however,  it is also boring beyond explanation AND screams “I don’t care how I look.”

OK.  With the “NEVER list” out of the way, it is time to focus on putting together a fun outfit that will not only make you look great, you will feel great too!

Here are a few suggestion that will work for any party, daytime or evening.  The accessories will be the key to keeping things more casual or dressing them up.  Remember. it is always better to be over dressed than be the schlump who shows up in cargo pants and birkenstocks.

Linen pants and a fitted top.  A printed top is ideal but a solid can be fun too when worn with a long necklace or light weight colorful scarf.  Make sure the shirt is fitted as the linen pants are going to be the “bigger” more flowy part of the outfit.  Cute thong sandals or a great pair of heels will make this combo brunch or evening worthy.

Sundresses are perfect for daytime or evening affairs.  Again, a  change in jewelry and shoes can take a garden party dress and turn it into a country club cocktail outfit.

Cropped pants, fitted through the entire length of the leg, look great with the very popular more billowy blouses being shown this season.  I love white cropped pants with coral and turquoise.  Use fun, long beaded necklaces to take this look to new heights.  Again, a cute thong shoe or a great fabric wedge will provide variety when wearing this look to different events at different times.

Just a few for now.  More ideas to come!

Always remember, when you make the effort, it will always be worth it!

I cannot believe that this weekend we will celebrate the  Memorial Holiday!  Where have the days gone?  As a youth, I found it annoying and ridiculous when older people made claims about time going faster and faster with age.   Sadly, I have become that older, annoying and ridiculous person…it is true, time is streaming by, with months and seasons passing with the blink of an eye.  I haven’t blogged since the 3rd of this month.  How can that be?

Our so called “Spring” has been one of the worst weather springs I can remember.  I initially planned on writing about how our Spring has not given us much of a chance to dress “in the season” and then I scrapped that superficial rant.  How can I possibly whine about not being able to wear light weight ruffles and colorful prints when there are so many people who are truly suffering from Mother Nature’s wrath?  The overwhelming death and destruction in the plains should make all of us drop to our knees in gratitude for the rain, cold and clouds.  Just when we thought there was no way it could possibly be worse, we see the video footage from Joplin, Missouri.

Be thankful for the rain drops, the green grass and the abundant flowers and for now, dress for the hour.  Yesterday was a shorts and tank top day one hour, followed by the immediate need for a wind breaker and hooded jacket.  The not so distant forecast shows our cool, rainy May turning  into a hot and humid June;  I can already hear those complaints.

No matter the weather, the date or the clothes you are wearing (or aren’t), stop to take time to enjoy the moment, the hour, the day.  Time is passing, take the time to notice and be thankful.